Marquise Brown Requested Trade, Lamar Jackson Notified Beforehand

Baltimore add first round pick with deal.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens wide receiver Marquise Brown was not happy with his role in Baltimore and requested to be traded.

Before making a deal, Ravens GM Eric DeCosta and coach John Harbaugh consulted Lamar Jackson about the situation. DeCosta did not shed too much light on the discussion with Jackson, who is considering a contract extension with the team. 

Jackson later tweeted a cryptic message:

Wtf

— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) April 29, 2022

The Ravens traded Brown and the 100th pick — third round, compensatory — in the 2022 NFL Draft to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for the 23rd overall pick. Baltimore took Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum with that selection. 

"John and I did speak with Lamar – we always do," DeCosta said. "Lamar is probably one of the great leaders of our team, also in the community, as a teammate, in the building. So, we do try to communicate with him as best as possible. We had a communication with him, actually, before the trade was made, to be honest, and explained the situation as best as we could. It’s challenging for everybody. Our locker room is very close, which I’m proud of, as Coach [Harbaugh] would say. 

"So, any time a teammate is potentially getting traded, it’s something that’s hard for the players to understand at times, but in the end, it happens, it’s part of the business."

Brown had a breakout season for the Ravens last year with over 1,000 yards receiving.

However, he expressed frustration with his role in the offense several times.

4eva Love For My Ppl In Baltimore But I Had To Do What’s Best For Me 💯

— Hollywood Brown (@Primetime_jet) April 29, 2022

Following a 28-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020, Brown tweeted “What’s the point of having souljas when you never use them (Never!!)." He later deleted the Tweet, but questions linger about Baltimore's passing attack.

In February, Brown deleted all of his Ravens pictures on social media, which ramped up speculation about his future with the team.

Brown is in the final year of his rookie contract. DeCosta had said the team would pick up his fifth-year option in 2023 worth $13.4 million, but the situation evidently changed.

DeCosta was able to get a first-round pick for Brown, just two picks higher than he was drafted. 

It was a tough decision for DeCosta to trade Brown. 

"For me personally, [it’s] complicated, because Marquise was my first pick, and one of my favorite guys on the team," DeCosta said. "But Marquise came to me after the season and requested that he be traded and was not happy and wanted to play elsewhere. Again, it was something that I anguished over for a long time. He would tell you, I think, that he and I had many conversations throughout the spring. You know … I always say the club has to win, and this was a situation where it was going to be impossible for the club to truly win, but we do what we think is best for the player. 

"We try to accommodate players when we can. I’m sensitive to that, so we did it. I think he would say that he feels happy, which is good, and we made the best of the situation as a club. We used that pick wisely, I think."

Rashod Bateman is expected to emerge as the Ravens' No. 1 wide receiver this season. Baltimore also has several other wideouts with potential, including Devon Duvernay, James Proche and Tylan Wallace. 

Baltimore also got a potential starting center for the long-term.

"We got a good trade, I think, and we got an excellent player," DeCosta said. "I hope when we look back at this, we’ll see that. It was a tough situation. I hope for the best for ‘Hollywood’ [Marquise Brown], I really do. I hope he’s in the Pro Bowl, but I also think that this guy [Linderbaum] that we drafted is also going to be in Pro Bowls, too. So, that will be a heck of a thing.”